Diet Coke Brownies

I love brownies - more than cake or cookies.

I haven't made brownies since I've been to college, so I figured I would treat myself tonight.... and try a new recipe! I was a little scared to try it, but they were great!

Just buy a brownie mix (I bought Pillsbury), and Diet Coke. I went to Dollar General, and the mix was $1, and they had mini bottles of Diet Coke - so I bought one for $1. I figured, well, if it doesn't turn out then I only wasted $2!

It is really soupy, since there's no egg or oil in it like usual, but don't worry - still bakes fine! The very bottom layer didn't fully bake, and was kind of gooey... which I completely loved. Rather than the usual brownie texture, they're spongey like cake :)

and you save about 60 calories making brownies this way!

Rating:

Mini Mexican Pizzas

I am a sucker for Taco Bell... and all things that are actually Mexican food. So, I saw this healthy option for a new Mexican dish, and decided it was worth a shot. SO good! And, as usual, incredibly easy to make.

You'll need:
 - 3-4 large whole wheat tortilla’s, or enough to cut out 12 small circles (I use La Tortilla Smart & Delicious LowCarb/High Fiber Tortillas)
- 1 pound of hamburger (or turkey meat)
- 1/2 cup salsa of choice
- Dry taco seasoning
- 1/2 cup low fat mozzarella
- Optional Toppings: sliced black olives, bell peppers, chopped tomatoes
- Muffin pan

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook the hamburger meat, and mix in the taco seasoning.

Use an empty can, glass cup, or cookie cutter to cut 3-4 medium circles out of each tortilla. Make sure to spray the pan! Press the circles into each muffin cup using your fingers. It doesn't have to go reach up to the rim of each cup, but it'll make it cleaner! Mix together the meat, salsa, and toppings. Stir until well combined. Scoop a tablespoon (or so) of the mixture into each tortilla. Top with cheese and olives.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. (My oven can be a little crazy sometimes, but I only cooked mine for five...)

Rating:

Green Monster Shake

A co-worker told me about this shake, and after finding various recipes I decided to try my own version! I made this using my Magic Bullet.

Ingredients:
1-2 cups of spinach
4 spoonfuls of Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp of peanut butter
1/2 cup of 1% milk (or whatever kind you drink)
Few spoonfuls of old-fashioned oats
1/2 Tbsp of honey
(optional: I put in a few mixed berries)

Blend until it's all mixed! These measurements were a little estimated, so you can increase/decrease. I also meant to put bananas in there... haha!

It didn't turn out "green" but it sounded like no one's really did. It was delicious!

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Pizza Casserole

Okay, so another little splurge on this recipe. But, I would consider it a little healthier than pizza, and its easy to make!

You'll need:
1 bag of egg noodles (I bought whole grain!)
1 extra large can of pizza or spaghetti sauce
3 cups of mozzarella cheese (or more if you like cheese)
1 1/2 pounds of hamburger meat (or sausage, turkey meat, etc.)
1 package of turkey pepperoni


Preheat the oven to 350.

Cook your hamburger and noodles.

The rest is layering... I used a cake pan, but you can use a glass dish as well.

Spread a thin layer of sauce,
then half the noodles,
half the meat,
half the sauce,
rest of the noodles,
(somewhere in here, sprinkle in some Italian seasoning!)
half the cheese,
rest of the meat,
rest of the sauce,
rest of the cheese,
and then layer pepperoni on top!


Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Then, remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

Let it cool for 10 minutes or so - this is important to let everything settle, otherwise it'll just fall apart.

Rating:

Mini Egg Frittatas

I've been wanting to try this for awhile, and luckily I got a muffin pan for Christmas... so I made these last night! You can put 'em in the freezer and then heat them up during the week!

Ingredients:
5 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
Assorted mix-ins
 - I used turkey pepperoni, bell pepper and tomato.


Preheat your oven to 350.

Whisk together your egg and salt, distribute evenly between six of the muffin cups.
Drop in however much of each mix-in you want in each cup.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, they should be puffy and the edges should be brown!

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